Itto Titrit (Itto Titrit)
Arab Film Competition
Mohamed Abbazi / Feature Narrative / Morocco / 2009 / 120 min / Color / 35 mm
In Tamazight / English, Arabic subtitles
Interests: Drama, History, Religion, Social Issues
Middle East Premiere
Synopsis
Morocco is going through turmoil. Liberty is on everyone's lips: young and old, educated and illiterate, Muslims and Jews. Everyone in the village is dreaming of a better future, be it a government job or an escape to another land. Meanwhile, a little girl with the name Itto Titrit (Morning Star) is kept out of school against her wishes. She yearns to be close to her childhood love during the pre-independence days in Morocco, and so she decides to outsmart the social taboos established by dominant males. To get her share of freedom like the rest of the country, she does not know what it will cost to challenge the well-established male privileges. Tackling messages of religious tolerance, Tamazigh culture and the role of women, the picture represents a new apogee for Moroccan cinema as one of the first films shot completely by a Tamazigh cast and production crew.
About the Directors
Mohamed Abbazi
Born in 1938 in Khemisset, Morocco, Abbazi earned his undergraduate degree from UCLA's film school in 1966 and went on to study at Harvard. Afterward, he returned to his country and worked in various stages of film production on both Moroccan and foreign films. His directing debut was 1997's "Les trésors de l'Atlas".
Credits
- Director
- Mohamed Abbazi
- Screenwriter
- Mohamed Abbazi
- Producer
- Mohamed Abbazi
- Editor
- Mehdi Boudkhili
- Music
- Brahim Fribgane
- Cinematographer
- Abdelkrim Derkaoui
- Cast
- Nisrine Fouad, Amine Jebbor, Sidi Moh Chakri, Mustapha Qaderi, Hadda Ouabbou, Saadia Ibouda